#travel #belgium #daytrip #vangogh #maison

The "House of the Marais" provides a glimpse into the daily life of Vincent van Gogh during his stay in the Borinage, from December 1878 to October 1880.

It was within here that he took his first steps on the way of art.

There are reproductions of his works made while staying here, his literary preferences, his epistolary exchange and the atmospheric room furnished with period furniture.

I’ll put info on how to book your tickets in the description below.

Book your visitMons tickets online , on site (Grand-Place) or by phone +32(0)65/33.55.80

The work Les bêcheurs was produced by Vincent van Gogh in Brussels, echoing his stay in the Borinage, from December 1878 to October 1880.

During his visit to this region, Van Gogh the Evangelist was confronted with and marked by the harsh living conditions of the miners. When his contract as an evangelist was not renewed, Van Gogh decided, following several months of reflection, to become an artist,

He decided to learn the trade, from books teaching drawing and by copying engravings of works by artists he admired such as Jean-François Millet.

Van Gogh developed not only his artistic thought but also themes to which he would later remain faithful: the daily reality of simple workers, their modest homes.

Vincent van Gogh is said to have copied the work Les Bêcheurs twelve times—but only three have been identified, two of which are kept in the Netherlands and one just up the road in Mons.

Les Bêcheurs is not only the oldest drawing by Van Gogh kept in Belgium, but also shows the artist's attachment to the this region.

The work Les Bêcheurs is now kept in a very beautiful setting that is the Artothèque , a space for pooled reserves of the Mons collections.